Succeeding With Authentic Home Brew Beer

What does cooking have to do with home brew beer? Well, if you want to try this time-honored kitchen craft, you will end up standing over a hot stove just like any chef or housewife.

Beer is the third most popular drink in the world, and this category is not limited to alcoholic beverages. Water is first and tea second. Beer is made all over the world and can be made out of any form of starch. However, time-tested recipes used today rely mostly on grains, with bitters such as hops added to make the distinctive flavors of manky popular brands. There are clubs and competitions and trained judges for this home craft.

Although this fermented product was made at home throughout most of history, there have been laws regulating its manufacture and its sale for as long as there have been records. The Code of Hammurabi contains regulations for drinking parlors. The Industrial Revolution of the 1800s introduced the use of machinery and the mass production methods that are used to make commercial, licensed varieties that are sold in stores, bars, and restaurants.

There have been many changes since the ancient Egyptians brewed the early versions of this beverage along the banks of the Nile. The process was not understood really until Louis Pasteur studied the action of yeast in fermentation. This led to the use of specialized strains of yeast, some jealously guarded by brew masters in Europe and passed down in secrecy.

For those who wish to try this process, the Internet has brought a wealth of resources to add to the books accepted as good references on the subject. Watching a video takes a lot of the mystery out of the techniques and the terms for ingredients and utensils. Many kits come with instructional DVDs and there are online videos that explain things that may only confuse when read from a printed page.

At first, you may want to get a complete kit with ingredients and specialized tools. Unless you have a personal instructor, it will be easier to follow the step-by-step instructions and the labeled parts of a commercial kit. Later on you can buy supplies and ingredients online and save money. You can find many sources for needed things from companies who may even offer free shipping.

Preparation is important, since everything should be ready to hand and all that will come into contact with the brew must be sterilized for safety and purity. The brewing process will take over an hour to boil up the ingredients – just on the stove – and longer to cool until the yeast can be added. The ‘wort’ must ferment until the proper alcoholic content is reached, when it may be bottled. Some bottle at once and others allow the brew to sit for up to a week to allow sediments to settle and leave a clearer end product.

If centuries of cottage, hut, paper house, or cave dwellers could do this thing over their open fires and using pottery or stone jugs, you can surely make your own home brew beer with all the help available today and all the tested tools and techniques. So try it – or get your best friend a gift kit and hope the hobby turns into an obsession.

If you’re looking to learn how to home brew beer the best way, come check out our Free home brewing videos and get started right now!